


The Rauru offensive of 27 AC

by YvannaIrie



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Gen, Geography, Historical Research, In-Universe Document, Military History, Non-narrative fiction, Translated document
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:00:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23141344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YvannaIrie/pseuds/YvannaIrie
Summary: An exerpt from the Royal libraries concerning military operations of the Hylian Royal Regiment during the Silent Century, made available to the public on the order of Queen Zelda of Hyrule, as a part of the research into New Common History. Published in 147 AC.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7
Collections: Worldbuilding Exchange 2020





	The Rauru offensive of 27 AC

**Author's Note:**

  * For [James_D_Auld](https://archiveofourown.org/users/James_D_Auld/gifts).



> From the notes of Champion Link of Hyrule, written in 103 AC, translated from Low Hylian, concerning his research into the threat of the Guardians and building on the research conducted by Queen Zelda before the Calamity. Please check the end of the chapter for translator’s notes.

… the old man had been a clerk for the 3rd regiment for two years before the offensive. Carnet hadn’t been taken in his lifetime, but his parents were shepherds from Rauru, so he’d had had favour that had gotten him to study bookkeeping with the regiment. The High Commander of the Hylian Reserve Army was Cress Caerun, whose garrison held Gatepost and Outpost town, supplied by Deya and Kakariko. After the fall of Akkala Citadel, the Guardians had settled into regular patrol routes, and evading them had allowed the army to gather their numbers over time also outside of Hateno, with the training of new soldiers focused at Rauru and Kakariko.

At the time, the roads to Hyrule Ridge were still unsafe, and with the Rito guarding the entirety of Hebra, Tabantha, Lindor and Salari they were stretched too thin to provide soldiers to support a push into the west. The conflicts with the Yiga and fiends from the desert were holding up Gerudo forces, and upland Zorana was closed off by King Dorephan’s mandate, meaning only few Zora were able to act as scouts and messengers. Also, with Akkala span occupied by Stalkers, contact with the Gorons was spotty and unreliable. The reserve army was the only one making incursions into Hyrule field. Rauru village was also protected by the Great Hyrule Forest, making it well-supplied from the orchards and from grazing along Mekar Lake. Commander Caerun used it for general summons and staging, trying to avoid overtaxing Goponga and the diminishing riverlands, as more people moved to Kakariko highlands or all the way to Hateno.

Hylian infantry still had difficulties fighting Stalkers. They have thick armour that is resistant against spears and halberds, and their legs can’t be sliced but need to be struck in the joints or severed to disable them. The common strategy was to bait the Stalker into uneven territory and topple it, to expose the large brittle disc beneath it to the spearmen. Later broadswords became popular for cutting the legs off, but this rarely killed the Stalker, and the broadsword was a poor option for fighting marauding fiends on horseback. There were almost no archers in the reserve, because angered Stalkers could close the distance to them too quickly for them to be effective.

The greater danger in fighting Guardian scouts one-on-one was that killing one could unpredictably summon a swarm of Stalkers, in overwhelming numbers comparable to the forces that stuck Hateno and Akkala. The entire Stalker horde could move twice as fast as a horse at full gallop, without tiring, and their swarming was almost impossible to withstand in an open field. Holding territory in Hyrule Field was practically impossible, as Stalkers could react to advancing units faster than they could fortify reclaimed positions. The Stalkers would also disperse into the area afterwards, making estimating their numbers impossible, and would not give up chase the way scouts would if you could outrun them.

The final attempted incursion into Hyrule Field in 27 AC intended to use Castle Town as a fortified position, as the town’s curtain wall had not collapsed yet. The main host of 5700 was gathered at Gatepost Town the previous winter to wait marching orders, while Commander Caerun took her own 2200 in an attempt to draw the Stalker horde out of Hyrule Field and into Crenel and use the uneven terrain there to her advantage. She also left a supporting force around the cemetery park, under orders to retreat over Helmhead Bridge in case the horde diverted towards them instead. She would then have a detachment cavalry cross Orsedd Bridge and force the Guardians into a crabclaw, losing mobility in the high spring waters of the riverlands. The main host would wait for a southbound scout, once the horde was drawn out, so they could safely march across Hyrule Field and take Castle Town.

The incursion failed because the Stalkers at the back of the horde turned around and dispersed before the horde had stopped moving. They spread out into Mabe and encountered the main host, and although this didn’t draw the horde back immediately, it slowed them down before they could reach Castle Town. The main host did eventually reach the curtain wall, but were unable to reclaim a position to fortify within the city and were forced into retreating by the Guardians coming from Hyrule Castle. They later confirmed that these were not returning Stalkers, but new ones pulled together from parts by malice.

Caerun’s detachment at Crenel, whose plan had been mostly successful, was unprepared for the new horde. Their original plan had been to push into Mabe, and then retreat back out through the cemetery park, which was equally difficult for the Stalkers to move in, but were instead forced down to Thims Bridge and routed. Only the squadron at the cemetery park managed to retreat to Rauru proper, where they roused the town and managed to retreat into Great Hyrule Forest. The emptied garrison at the Goponga moors couldn’t provide reinforcements.

What followed was several weeks of Stalker activity comparable to the assault on Fort Hateno, and a general retreat was called so that the strong defensive positions at Kakariko, Hateno and Great Hyrule Forest could be safeguarded. Goponga village was also emptied, but the sandbars made for a good defensive position for Kakariko. The old man moved from Rauru to Gatepost town among the last caravans, but by then most of the villagers that had lived along River Hylia had moved out east and south, leaving nobody to till the land. The destruction of Deya Village by fiends also forced the abandonment of Gatepost Town some ten years later.

According to Botrick, the western road has been open for at least thirty years, and the biggest dangers are now Bokoblins and other fiends making their camps around old orchards, and the grazing and hunting lands around Hyrule Field. Fiends aren’t as coordinated as guardians, so a few watchmen is usually enough to keep them at bay, and their numbers are much better-known. However, even with a real Hylian reserve, defeating the fiends and taking Hyrule Ridge back is not possible. The “blood moon” mentioned by Hino revives any fiends, even marauding ones.

The people now living in Necluda and Lanayuru don’t know how many Guardians there are left, but their patrols have been getting more uncoordinated. The regiment scribes kept details for over fifty years from travellers and scouts, and more often than not the Stalkers guarding the passes will drift out of position and wander into the mountains or the forests. They also won’t revive the way fiends do if their core is removed, and cannot repair themselves if their legs are cut off, but this doesn’t seem to affect their numbers. The killed scouts are simply replaced by ones from Hyrule Castle, which are often seen travelling over Hyrule field. It seems Malice can build its own Guardians.

**Author's Note:**

> Translator’s notes: Originally from East Hyrule and having spent several years in the Zorana region, Champion Link’s personal notes are written with a strong Zor’ii influence. He uses the base 8 numerical system typical of the region, Zora Land Corp’s titles instead of the equivalent High Hylian ones for the military, as well as Zor’ii –typical phrasing for the carnet service system. These particularities have been preserved in the text whenever possible.


End file.
